Replace GitHub with free self-hosted Git hosting in 2026. Compare Gitea (51K+ GitHub stars, runs on Raspberry Pi), GitLab CE (full DevOps with CI/CD), and Forgejo (community-driven fork). No per-user fees, unlimited private repos, full data ownership. Save $4-$21/user/month vs GitHub Teams.
GitHub charges $4-$21/user/month for teams and your code lives on Microsoft servers. Gitea runs on a $5 VPS or Raspberry Pi with full GitHub-like features — 51K+ GitHub stars, MIT licensed, and used by 500K+ self-hosted instances. GitLab CE adds enterprise DevOps (CI/CD, container registry, monitoring) but requires 4GB+ RAM. Forgejo is the community-driven Gitea fork focused on sustainable open governance.
Gitea if you want lightweight and fast (runs on 512MB RAM, perfect for solo devs and small teams). GitLab CE if you need built-in CI/CD, container registry, and enterprise features (needs 4GB+ RAM). Forgejo if you prefer community governance over corporate-controlled open source.
Yes. All three (Gitea, GitLab CE, Forgejo) support importing from GitHub including issues, pull requests, wiki pages, and releases. Gitea and Forgejo also support mirroring — automatically syncing with upstream GitHub repos.
GitHub Teams costs $4/user/month ($48/user/year) and Enterprise is $21/user/month ($252/user/year). A 10-person team pays $480-$2,520/year. Gitea on a $5/month VPS costs $60/year total — saving 88-98% while gaining full data ownership and unlimited private repos.